Visiting Santa

Remember last year when I said that I wouldn't set Jett on Santa's knee? I feel the same way this year too, but when a toy store down the street from us announced that your child could eat breakfast with Santa, I thought that might be worth a visit. I also appreciated that there was no standing in line. We actually made an appointment to see Santa - and got our own 15 minute time slot.

So this morning at 10:00, Charlie and I bundle up Jett, and bundle up ourselves, and walk on down to the store. It's picturesque, really, with fresh snow on the ground, Jett bundled up in his stroller, on our way to see Santa. As soon as we walk in the store and hear the first ho, ho, ho, Jett starts shaking his head, "No". But I scooped him up and walked back towards Santa anyway. We only got close enough for me to accept the candy cane that Santa offered Jett, with Jett snug in my arms and shaking his head, "No" throughout the entire exchange.

We hung out in the store for a while afterwards, eating their muffins, drinking their juice, playing with their toys, and tracking snow everywhere. Jett was entranced by two things in the store. One was a pull-toy, (and Charlie, the softie, bought it) and the other was an entire shelving unit of sequined covered ballet slippers (I considered buying him a pair, but didn't). Jett never acknowledged Santa, but I would say that he was entranced by him too. Occasionally Jett would take my hand and slowly walk back towards the room that Santa was waiting in. In fact, he had a whole routine worked out. To be clear, I should explain that the store is three rooms long. We spent our time in the first room, and Santa was in the last room. While there was still an entire room between us and Santa, Jett would take my hand and slowly and carefully walk up to the threshold of the first room, walk over the threshold, point to a piece of fruit (which he then wouldn't eat) on the refreshments table, and then s-l-o-w-l-y back out of the room, still holding my hand. He never acknowledged Santa, who was sitting against the farthest wall, two rooms away from us, but he never turned his back on him either.

I would like to say that Jett's hesitancy suggests that he has already grasped the true meaning of Christmas and has no particular interest in acquiring material goods, but one trip with him through Target tells me that's not true.

Oh well. Happy Holidays!

A safe distance.

Eighteen Months

Dear Jett,

Eighteen months ago
Before we gave you your name
Before you said your first word
Before you ever hugged my head
Or climbed on my back
Or bounced on my belly
Or held my hand
Eighteen months was further than we could think.



Now you are a year and a half old
And we spend more time thinking than we ever have before.
We think about why you don't like to brush your teeth anymore.
Why you're suddenly willing to get out of the bath when we ask.
We think about what to feed you for dinner when all you want is breakfast cereal.
We worry about the safety of plastics and paint and which direction we should face your car seat.
We wonder if your pajamas are warm enough and why you like putting on your coat but not your shirt and whether or not we should do anything about it.



Meanwhile you run to me with open arms.
You dance and spin and flop yourself down on the couch begging us to stop our thinking and just love you up.
So we do.



Happy Birthday, Buddy. We love you.

Healthy Kid

Jett had his 18-month check-up today, and he's still perfect. Well, technically, he's still a bit on the short side and the skinny side, but he keeps growing proportionately, so all is normal. He weighs 21 pounds and 3 ounces now, and is about 32 inches tall. Since we could answer "yes" to all of the doctor's questions, (does he walk backward; does he ever pretend; does he climb up stairs; say any words; enjoy playing with other kids) I guess we can assume he is developing normally. Actually, when I told the doctor he prefers chicken nuggets to all other food, she gave him the nod of successful toddler-hood. I didn't mention yesterday's snack of blueberries and ice cream, which ruined his appetite for the healthy dinner I had prepared for him - tofu dipped in pureed spinach, rolled in homemade breading, and broiled in the toaster oven. But I can't say that I blame him.


What would you want for dinner after a snack of blueberries and ice cream? Just more ice cream, of course!

Crayons

If you want your toddler to have a chance to play with crayons, but you lack the patience of making sure he only draws on the paper, it is a great idea to put your child in a cardboard box and let him draw on that. But it is a better idea to move that box away from the wall first.

KristKindle Mart

Two years ago, when I was pregnant with Jett, Charlie and I strolled through the KristKindle Mart downtown. We went at night when all of the Christmas lights were twinkling. We sat in the heated beergarten and drank hot cocoa, we visited the booths, I spoke German with the shop keepers, and we bought the first baby toy of Jett's collection, all when we were still getting used to the idea of having a baby. This year it seemed fitting to go again, with Jett.

So we bundle up and head out late Saturday morning. We're on a schedule now, squeezing this adventure in between his lunch and his nap. In fact, we're running late, and instead of giving Jett lunch at home (and being later), we add some Carnation Instant Breakfast into his milk, pour it into his sippy cup, and get in the car. (Carnation Instant Breakfast is on the list of things we can add to his food to increase his calorie intake - although it is supposed to be a supplement not his entire lunch). Anyway. We park at an el stop, snag a prime parking spot, and get on the train. This is Jett's first time on the el by the way, and he acts like a pro, flirting with all of the cute girls.

We get to the Mart and it is packed. We strap Jett in his stroller and discover he has a perfect view of everyone's winter-coat-covered butt. But it's hard to carry a kid when you both have winter coats on, so we keep him strapped in. We can't even get close to any of the shops because the lines in front of them are too long. We wade into the sea of people, trying to avoid running the stroller over anyone's feet, and find a spot that is kind of out of the wind. Of course there are no available seats inside, so Charlie scrounges up a chair for me and I go about giving Jett his lunch. His lunch is completely unglamorous: a cold grilled-cheese sandwich I made at home, which he eats off of his stroller tray. He has to take off his mittens to pick up the sandwich, and it's freezing, but he doesn't complain. Charlie buys a brat, and I get in to the spirit and go for a wienerschnitzel, despite the fact that it isn't even 11:30 am yet. The wienerschnitzel costs $7 and is cold. Jett looks completely bored.

But, but! He saw a real live horse up close and personal - and he almost petted it.


And even though we didn't stand in line to sit on Santa's lap, we caught a glimpse of him through the window.


The best thing of all? We were home by 12:30, Jett was asleep by 1:00, and Charlie and I were feeling pretty satisfied that we had made it out of the house at all.

Persuasion

I served on a federal jury this past week. When it came time for deliberations, I was the only juror who thought the defendant should not be convicted. I spent two days locked in a tiny room arguing my case to the other eleven jurors. I never persuaded them to change their minds, but I held my ground. The judge called us a hung jury and declared a mistrial. The defendant wasn't convicted.

You'd think then, that I could stand my ground and not give Jett graham crackers for breakfast, but you'd be wrong. Jett is the most persuasive person I know.